The Aquisafe project aims at mitigation of diffuse pollution from agricultural sources to protect surface water resources. The first project phase (2007-2009) focused on the review of available information and preliminary tests regarding (i) most relevant contaminants, (ii) system-analytical tools to assess sources and pathways of diffuse agricultural pollution, (iii) the potential of mitigation zones, such as wetlands or riparian buffers, to reduce diffuse agricultural pollution of surface waters and (iv) experimental setups to simulate mitigation zones under controlled conditions. The present report deals with (ii), presenting existing diagnostic methods for agricultural diffuse pollution on a river basin scale. The report focuses on methods with low to moderate data requirements and analytical effort. Generally no numerical models but mostly GIS based approaches have been considered. The described methods were distinguished along two questions: 1. Does diffuse agricultural pollution play an important role in a given catchment? 2. Which areas within the catchment contribute highly to diffuse pollution of the receiving river, i.e. which areas are critical source areas (CSAs)? Question 1 can be answered by using nutrient measurements, mass balance approaches or land use based methods. For most catchments some nutrient measurements and land use data are available, which allow a first assessment whether diffuse pollution could play a role. For question 2, the identification of CSAs, a number of GIS-based methods was found in scientific literature. Since most available methods focus on nutrients and since spatial data on other contaminants, such as pesticides, are typically not available, the report outlines methods for the two critical nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus. Each method can be looked up separately, as they are summarized in a similar structure. Moreover Table 8 in Appendix G provides a quick overview of all the presented methods. All the described approaches focus on nutrients, as they are a major concern and often in the focus of research projects. In general the presented methods consider three aspects to assess the risk of pollution from an area within a river basin: 1. The source of nutrients on agricultural land is included through fertilizer application, livestock numbers or indirectly via land use. 2. Transport to the river is mainly assessed via soil type, land cover, elevation and distance to the river 3. In addition several methods take retention processes into account during transport to or within the river It is important that different contaminants show different behaviour. For instance, phosphorus is pre-dominantly particle-bound, enters rivers via soil erosion and can be retained by adsorption or plant export. Nitrate, the dominant form of nitrogen, is very well soluble, is lost mostly through leaching and most efficiently retained by denitrification. Consequently, methodologies for the assessment of CSAs for phosphorus and nitrogen were looked at separately. While many promising methods with limited data requirements and analytical efforts were identified in the report, few concepts (such as the Universal Soil Loss Equation for phosphorus) seem to be well established. Most literature concerns specific local or regional case studies. As a result, transferability to other catchments is questionable. The highest potential is seen in qualitative, multi-criteria methods (such as the scoring approach by Trepel and Palmeri, 2002), which can be adapted by the user depending on the diagnostic aim as well as local data availability. In summary, it is recommended to test several of the presented GIS methods on one or two catchments to gain experience in their handling and their transferability.

The Aquisafe project aims at mitigation of diffuse pollution from agricultural sources to protect surface water resources. The first project phase (2007-2009) focused on the review of available information and preliminary tests regarding (i) most relevant contaminants, (ii) system-analytical tools to assess sources and pathways of diffuse agricultural pollution, (iii) the potential of mitigation zones, such as wetlands or riparian buffers, to reduce diffuse agricultural pollution of surface waters and (iv) experimental setups to simulate mitigation zones under controlled conditions.

The Aquisafe project aims at mitigation of diffuse pollution from agricultural sources to protect surface water resources. The first project phase (2007-2009) focused on the review of available information and preliminary tests regarding (i) most relevant contaminants, (ii) system-analytical tools to assess sources and pathways of diffuse agricultural pollution, (iii) the potential of mitigation zones, such as wetlands or riparian buffers, to reduce diffuse agricultural pollution of surface waters and (iv) experimental setups to simulate mitigation zones under controlled conditions. The present report deals with (iv) and evaluates the suitability of the technical scale experimental site at the UBA in Berlin, Marienfelde for simulating processes that impact the fate and transformation of nutrients in wetlands / riparian zones. A 3-month pilot investigation (Sep. to mid Nov. 2007) was conducted in order to assess the impact of vegetation on nitrate (NO3-) removal in slow-sand filters (SSFs) and identifying possible interference of glyphosate with N and C cycling processes in these systems. SSFs are engineered bio-reactors that can mitigate the transfer of a wide range of pollutants including nutrients and organic contaminants to water bodies. Two vertical-flow experimental SSFs (average area: 60 and 68 m2, depth: 0.8 and 1.2 m, respectively) at the UBA facilities in Berlin were used in this study: one unplanted and the other vegetated with Phragmites australis. The SSFs received water amended with nitrate (NO3-) and phosphate (PO4 -) without and with glyphosate (added for 2 weeks). Mineral N concentration at the mixing cell, SSF surface, 40 cm depth and at the SSF outlet was measured at least twice per week to calculate N removal rates. Physical water properties (pH, redox potential, temperature) and greenhouse gas emission (CO2, CH4 and N2O) were also monitored to gain insights into controlling processes. Results showed that N removal rates were several-fold higher in the vegetated than in the non-vegetated SSFs averaging 663 mg N m-2 d-1 (57 % of input) and 114 mg N m-2 d-1 (14 % of input), respectively. In both systems, most of the N removal occurred in the top 40 cm of the SSFs. Marked temporal variation in N removal rates was also detected with rates in general 3 times higher in late summer compared to mid/late autumn. In the latter period, a net release of N was observed in the non-vegetated SSF. The seasonal variation in N removal could be related to a lack of vegetation growth and thus plant N uptake, and may also reflect of the sensitivity of denitrification to climatic factors as suggested by strong (r2 > 0.77) linear relationships between weekly N removal rates and SSF water temperature. A clear impact of glyphosate addition on nitrate concentrations could not be observed. Denitrification, the process most responsible for the removal of nitrogen from waters and soils seems to be unaffected by the addition of glyphosate under the conditions in the experiment. The impact of glyphosate, if any, was probably much smaller compared to the strong influence of temperature on N dynamics in the SSFs. Difficulty of maintaining a constant concentration of glyphosate during dosing may have also contributed to this outcome. Nitrous oxide emission accounted for < 3 % of the total N removed was always lower in the vegetated (< 0.1 - 0.3 mg N2O-N m-2 d-1) than in the non-vegetated SSF (0.2 - 3.8 mg N2O-N m-2 d-1). Conversely, CH4 emission was always higher in the vegetated (range: +0.4 to +49.5 mg CH4-C m-2 d-1) than in the non-vegetated SSF (range: -2.1 to +1.32 mg CH4-C d-1). These results, in connection with much lower oxidation reduction potential readings in the vegetated filter, suggest that the reduction of N2O to N2 was important in the SSF systems and that N2 was the dominant N gas produced. Thus, N2 production must be quantified in order to establish N mass balance of SSF systems. The results show that technical-scale experiments can realistically simulate mitigation systems, while having control over contaminant loading, flow conditions and monitoring. Important lessons learnt for future applications are the following (i) Denitrifying conditions can be established in both SSF of the experimental site by adjusting to low flow conditions (0.23 m³/h) and dosing nitrate. (ii) Dosing of trace contaminants (in this case glyphosate) needs to be improved, but will remain difficult for the large amounts of water involved. The results underline the importance of measurements in the mixing cell. (iii) Since seasonal effects play an important role in mitigation zone performance, any experiments need to be done in parallel, rather than in succession to be able to compare the results.

The Aquisafe project aims at mitigation of diffuse pollution from agricultural sources to protect surface water resources. The first project phase (2007-2009) focused on the review of available information and preliminary tests regarding (i) most relevant contaminants, (ii) system-analytical tools to assess sources and pathways of diffuse agricultural pollution, (iii) the potential of mitigation zones, such as wetlands or riparian buffers, to reduce diffuse agricultural pollution of surface waters and (iv) experimental setups to simulate mitigation zones under controlled conditions. The present report deals with (iii), providing a review of the potential of constructed wetlands to protect surface waters from diffuse agricultural pollution. Population growth and industrialization have lead to the demise of large majorities of natural wetland systems. Recent research continues to suggest the importance of these often saturated areas in the natural remediation of pollutants in water, as well as being aesthetically pleasing and acting as potential habitat for declining species. The drastic losses in wetland areas, combined with the realization of their importance, have stimulated recent attempts at wetland restoration and even construction of wetlands where they would not have naturally occurred. In terms of substance remediation, constructed wetlands were traditionally used for the treatment of point sources, such as urban or industrial waste water. Recently they have also become increasingly popular for the treatment of diffuse pollution from agriculture and urban storm runoff. Constructed wetlands have been shown to be efficient in the treatment of nutrients, organic matter and heavy metals. Few studies also show their potential against trace organics, such as pesticides and pharmaceutical residues and against pathogens. Retention efficiencies vary significantly among case studies. In agricultural settings the following design criteria should be considered: (i) Water residence time in wetlands is critical. Some studies concerning nutrient removal suggest that a constructed wetland should be about 5 % of the watershed area and assure water residence time of 7 days. (ii) Vegetation is important to slow down flow and increase sedimentation. Regular cutting and removal of plants is controversially discussed, since it may reduce their beneficial effect on wetland hydrology. (iii) Constant redox conditions are important to avoid release of sedimented or adsorbed pollutants. (iv) A combination of constructed wetlands with buffer strips showed very positive results.

The Aquisafe project aims at mitigation of diffuse pollution from agricultural sources to protect surface water resources. The first project phase (2007-2009) focused on the review of available information and preliminary tests regarding (i) most relevant contaminants, (ii) system-analytical tools to assess sources and pathways of diffuse agricultural pollution, (iii) the potential of mitigation zones, such as wetlands or riparian buffers, to reduce diffuse agricultural pollution of surface waters and (iv) experimental setups to simulate mitigation zones under controlled conditions.

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) has been applied to the Ic watershed, Brittany, France, to evaluate scenarios for reduction of nitrate in stream water. For the simulated period the model showed fair results with a mean index of agreement of 0.64 at the watershed outlet for discharge and nitrate loads. The management goal for the watershed is the meeting of drinking water threshold at the watershed outlet. An analysis of observed data revealed that nitrate loads would have to be reduced by at least 17% on average to reach that goal. Scenarios investigated cover fertilizer reduction and the introduction of wetland buffer zones. Decreased nitrogen inputs were realized on a) selected subbasins and b) all agricultural fields; wetlands were placed at three model subbasins. Most effective measures were a 50% fertilizer decrease on selected subbasins resulting in a range of 13 22 % reduction of nitrate loads with a high uncertainty. Consequently, none of the tested measures is likely to achieve a sufficient reduction. Combined measures such as enhanced fertilizer management and concurrent introduction of wetlands seem to be the most promising way to approach the drinking water threshold.

The MIA-CSO project is currently led by the department “Point and non.point source pollution control of surface water” in the KWB. Its overall objective is to develop a model-based planning instrument for impact based CSO control. To that aim, an integrated monitoring in the river Spree and in the Berlin sewer system will be carried out in order to calibrate two numerical models before they are used for CSO impact assessment. A module shall be developed to allow the statistical analysis of the model results. This module will be based on Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis (UA and SA). The principle of such analysis is to investigate the effects of model input uncertainties on model outputs: UA establishes a mapping of model assumption into model inferences and SA is the study of how uncertainty in a model output can be apportioned to different sources of uncertainty in the model inputs. This study focuses on Sensitivity Analysis. First of all, four of the main SA techniques are described and explained mathematically. The first technique is a screening method called the Morris algorithm. This qualitative method allows one to classify the inputs in order of importance. The most important ones can then be selected for further study. Furthermore, this technique gives an idea of the linearity or nonlinearity of the effects for every input. The second technique, based on Regression Analysis, works under the assumption that the model is linear or monotonous. It gives a qualitative indication of the relative effects of each input. The third and fourth techniques, called Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test and the Sobol’ method, aim at calculating indicators of the relative effects of each input, called the sensitivity effects. They work without any assumption on the model and they can traduce the effects of interactions between the model inputs. Using the free software SimLab, three methods are tested in this study: Morris, FAST and Sobol’. They are applied on catchment Berlin XII in Friedrichshain, under the framework of ATV-A 128, a linear, empirical model used for designing storage tanks in combined sewer systems. After a calibration step, rules are expounded in order to define how to use these techniques and how to have reliable results. Then, the Sensitivity Analysis itself is performed for Berlin XII. Among the nine inputs of interest, the Morris screening allows to choose the four most important ones (the CODconcentration in the wastewater, the COD-concentration in the rainwater, the specific water need and the total impervious area). While the five other inputs are considered constant, FAST and Sobol’ are performed and give the exact relative effects of the four inputs. It appears that two inputs are more important than the two others. For these inputs (COD-concentration in the rainwater and specific water need), further uncertainty study should be done and the lack of data should be corrected.

During the ISM study in the year 2007 first water quality simulations of the Berlin river Spree (stretch Charlottenburg) under consideration of combined sewer overflows (CSO) from the drainage system had been carried out. The period of September 2005 was simulated. A good correlation of simulation results with water quality measurements could only be observed for those days where the model boundary conditions were clearly defined (spot samples at the inflowing streams). However, these spot samples are carried out only once a month. Given the simulation period of one month and the temporal resolution of 15 minutes this data availability for the inflowing streams is not sufficient. Even more, some parameters had to be assessed entirely since no measurements were available. The data situation was especially critical for the inflow of the Landwehrkanal into the river Spree. No continuous measurement data was available for the following parameters: water temperature, oxygen content, pH and conductivity. For these parameters hydrographs had been assumed according to those at gauge Mühlendammschleuse with an offset calculated by the difference between the spot sampling at Landwehrkanal and the continuous values at Mühlendammschleuse. Furthermore, during the simulations within the ISM study a second storm event with overflows could not be considered since the simulation of the drainage system (software INFOWORKS CS) carried out by Berliner Wasserbetriebe was not yet available. The objective of the water quality simulations carried out within SAM-CSO was to take into account the full boundary conditions for the Landwehrkanal (continuous data now available). By comparison with the former simulation results the relevance of the inflow Landwehrkanal on the processes in the river Spree is shown. A second simulation was carried out with meteorological data of high temporal resolution. Former simulations were conducted with daily averages for e.g. air temperature, wind speed, etc. The influence of the temporal resolution of the input data on the diurnal hydrographs of different water quality parameters was analysed (focus on water temperature and dissolved oxygen). Finally, for the last simulation the data for the additional CSO event on 16-17 September 2005 was used (simulated by Berliner Wasserbetriebe with INFOWORKS CS). The results show that considering meteorological data of high temporal resolution and continuous data for the boundary condition Landwehrkanal have a significant influence on the quality of the water quality simulation results for river Spree, especially for the parameters oxygen content, pH and conductivity. Now, for September 2005 simulation results are available that are based on the best set of data that is currently available for the studied river stretch.